General Guides
Mk1 and Mk2 Fiesta Buying Guide
Rust!
There is one year that stands out as the worst for rust on Fiesta's, D reg / 1986. This only affects British made Fiesta's so if the car was made in Spain or Germany then it's likely to be OK. This is only intended as a guide and in most cases there will only be rust in a few of these places or it will be simply surface rust that can be sanded and repainted to solve the problem. It's best to inspect the following areas for bad rust that could be or could lead to holes.
Places to check for rust:
- Front edge of bonnet and around bonnet hinges.
- Front outer and inner wings around the front indicators.
- Front inner wings behind the expansion tank.
- Around door hinges.
- The weld line where the front wings are welded onto the front panel.
- Around the tops of the front suspension turrets.
- The battery tray.
- Sills - make sure it hasn't had "sill skins" welded over the originals!
- Rear arches - look for bubbling under the paint.
- Rear inner arches - check welded lip between inner and outer arch.
- Inside boot - front face and inside wing cavities at each side.
- Boot lid around window and wiper.
- Around the fuel filler cap.
- Floor pan - rear section in front of the fuel tank also along the front edge and where the chassis members are welded on.
Engine noises
Depending on the type of engine the car you are looking at has, there will be different things that can be wrong. Before listening to any engine noises it's best to open the bonnet and inspect the engine for oil leaks, don't worry about rocker cover or distributor as these are very simple leaks to stop and will only cost a few pennies. It's also a good idea to check the engine for heat before starting, if it's warm then the car has been started and there's a chance that it's been started to get rid of start up smoke or the like. If the engine isn't warm then get someone to start it while you watch the exhaust, smoke is a sign that something is leaking internally. If this smoke is just a bust that soon goes away then the valve stem oil seals need replacing (simple job). If the smoke does not go away then the chances are it is something more serious like the piston rings or a gasket that's broken.
Noises to listen out for:
- Tapping from under rocker cover - on a CVH this can happen at first start up and then go away, this is normal. If the tapping continues then the valve lifters (tappets) either need adjusting (OHV) or replacing (CVH).
- Rattling sound from distributor (mainly CVH) this is normally due to worn mechanical advance unit and requires a replacement distributor. However, it can be caused by the cam belt being loose, if this is the case then replace the belt as soon as you get the car (OHV engines don't have cam belts).
- Rattling from top end of engine (CVH), normally due to a worn cam shaft or once again can be caused by a loose cam-belt. On the OHV the cam is mounted in the block of the engine so you will need to listen lower down to here any rattles causes by that.
- Knocking from bottom end of engine, this will be due to worn big end bearings and will require major work to sort it out. Unless it's the only thing wrong it's best to leave any car with worn big ends.
- Rattling from bottom of engine near to the alternator, this can either be a worn alternator or on the OHV it could be a worn cam chain (unlikely).
Road Test
Take the car on a reasonable road test make sure you can get into all the gears easily including reverse, and make sure there are no flat spots in the revs when accelerating.
Things to look and listen out for:
- Juddering or screech/wail from clutch when pulling away - worn clutch.
- Faint grinding sound when resting foot on clutch pedal - worn clutch release bearing.
- Grinding or loud wine from gear box - worn gearbox or synchros.
- Clunky or stiff gear changes - worn clutch or gearbox selector.
- Wandering when going in straight line - worn suspension bushes.
- Juddering when braking - warped discs or rear drums.
- Spongy brake pedal - air in brake system or system leak.
- Unusual force required to stop - broken brake servo or air in system.
- Bouncy suspension - worn shock absorbers.
Other things
Check all the lights work and if any don't make sure it's just a bulb that's gone. If the rear lights do strange things then it's normally just a bad earth connection (there's one either side of the boot). There were a wide range of optional extras that could be fitted to these cars, so just because one has say a centre console, don't be surprised if another one had a different item or doesn't have one at all!
Check for a tow bar or signs of one having been fitted in the past, there will usually be four holes along the back of the lower boot and one in the boot floor if a tow bar has been removed. If the car has a tow bar then try to establish what it's been used for, a lot of people use them for small boats or jet skis and then the car has most likely been reversed into the sea on many occasions, which tends to increase the chance of rust. One place where this will be evident is the rear brake drums which are not normally badly corroded. If the car has a tow bar and an engine any smaller than 1.3 then the chances are that the engine will have been strained and may be badly worn.
